IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


I.I 


la  IM    III  2.2 


^   II 


12.0 


1.8 


1.25 

1.4       1,6 

., 6"     

► 

.,:;-:t^. 


..^. 


v: 


^ 


/a 


^l 


'/ 


/A 


Photographic 

Sciences 
Corporation 


\ 


S 


v 


^ 


4? 


^\ 


^ 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


i/x 


>> 


CIHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  de  nr>icroreproductions  historiques 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  techniques  et  bibliographiques 


The  institute  has  attempted  to  obtain  the  best 
original  copy  available  for  filming.  Features  of  this 
copy  which  may  be  bibliographically  unique, 
which  may  alter  any  of  the  images  in  the 
reproduction,  or  which  may  significantly  change 
the  usual  method  of  filming,  are  checlted  below. 


H 


D 

D 


D 


Coloured  covers/ 
Couverture  de  couleur 


I      I   Covers  damaged/ 


Couverture  endommagde 

Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaurte  et/ou  peliiculie 

Cover  title  missing/ 

Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 

Coloured  maps/ 

Cartes  gAographiques  en  couleur 

Coloured  ink  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 

Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations/ 
Planches  et/ou  illustrations  en  couleur 


D 


Bound  with  other  material/ 
ReilA  avec  d'autres  documents 

Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion 
along  interior  margin/ 

La  reliure  serr6e  peut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la 
distortion  le  long  de  la  marge  intArieure 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restoration  may 
appear  within  the  text.  Whenever  possible,  these 
have  been  omitted  from  filming/ 
II  se  peut  que  certaines  pages  blanches  aJoutAes 
tors  d'une  restauration  apparaissent  dans  le  texte. 
mais,  lorsque  cela  6tait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
pas  AtA  filmiies. 

Additional  comments:/ 
Commentaires  supplAmentaires. 


L'Institut  a  microfilm^  le  meilleur  exemplaire 
qu'il  lui  a  6t6  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  details 
de  cet  exemplaire  qui  sont  peut-Atre  uniques  du 
point  de  vue  bibliographique,  qui  peuvent  modifier 
une  image  reproduite.  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dans  la  methods  normale  de  filmage 
sont  indiqu6s  ci-dessous. 


T 
t( 


I      I   Coloured  pages/ 


D 


Pages  de  couleur 

Pages  damaged/ 
Pages  endommag^es 

Pages  restored  and/oi 

Pages  restaur^es  et/ou  pellicul6es 

Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxe( 
Pages  d6color6es,  tachettes  ou  piquies 

Pages  detached/ 
Pages  ddtach^es 

Showthrough/ 
Transparence 

Quality  of  prir 

Quality  in6gale  de  I'impression 

Includes  supplementary  materii 
Comprend  du  materiel  supplAmentaire 

Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Edition  disponible 


I  I  Pages  damaged/ 

I  I  Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 

I  I  Pages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 

I  I  Pages  detached/ 

I  I  Showthrough/ 

I  I  Quality  of  print  varies/ 

I  I  Includes  supplementary  material/ 

I — I  Only  edition  available/ 


T 

P 
o 
fi 


0 
b 
tl 

si 
o 
fi 
si 
o 


Tl 
si 

T! 

M 
IV 

di 
ei 
b( 
ri< 
ffl 
m 


Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
slips,  tissues,  etc.,  have  been  refilmed  to 
ensure  the  best  possible  image/ 
Les  pages  totalement  ou  partiellement 
obscurcies  par  un  feuillet  d'errata,  une  pelure, 
etc.,  ont  6t*  fiimAes  6  nouveau  de  ^apon  u 
obtenir  la  meiileure  image  possible. 


This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  est  filmA  au  taux  de  reduction  indiquA  ci-dessous. 


10X 

14X 

19X 

22X 

MX 

30X 

>/ 

H 

12X 


16X 


20X 


24X 


28X 


32X 


Ths  copy  filmsd  her*  ha*  been  reproduced  thanks 
to  the  generosity  of: 

Library  Division 

Provincial  Archives  of  British  Columbia 

The  images  appearing  here  are  the  best  quality 
possible  considering  the  condition  and  legibility 
of  the  original  copy  and  in  keeping  with  the 
filming  contract  specifications. 


Original  copies  in  printed  paper  covers  are  filmed 
beginning  with  the  front  cover  and  ending  on 
the  last  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, or  the  back  cover  when  appropriate.  All 
other  original  copies  are  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  the  last  page  with  a  printed 
or  illustrated  impression. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  the  symbol  — »•  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"}, or  the  symbol  V  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 

Maps,  plates,  charts,  etc.,  may  be  filmed  at 
different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


L'exemplaire  filmA  fut  reproduit  grAce  A  la 
gAnArositA  de: 

Library  Division 

Provincial  Archives  of  British  Columbia 

Les  images  suivantes  ont  4tA  reproduites  avec  le 
plus  grand  soin,  compte  tenu  de  la  condition  et 
de  la  nettetA  de  l'exemplaire  film6,  et  en 
conformity  avec  les  conditions  du  contrat  de 
filmage. 

Les  exemplaires  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprimAe  sont  filmAs  en  commen^ant 
par  le  premier  plat  et  en  terminant  soit  par  la 
derniAre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration,  soit  par  le  second 
plat,  salon  le  cas.  Tous  les  autres  exemplaires 
originaux  sont  film6s  en  commenpant  par  la 
premiere  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'illustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  derniire  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 

Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaitra  sur  la 
dernidre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
cas:  le  symbole  — ^  signifie  "A  SUIVRE  ",  le 
symbols  V  signifie  "FIN". 

Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  Atre 
film^s  d  des  taux  de  rMuction  diff^rents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  dtre 
reproduit  en  un  seul  cliche,  il  est  filmA  A  partir 
de  Tangle  supArieur  gauche,  de  gauche  A  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  n^cessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  m6thode. 


1  2  3 


1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

pp 


—  ^ 


MOIR 


-ipiww  ttta 


BETWEEN 


tM  Gf  I^get  Sofa^  of  t&8^  Pacific 


AKTD 


««»WM«  Chiir  ^  t^  AU^iie  ocea^ 


;« 


-.4^ 


WftlttKh  FOR  AND  READ  BC|i«i(E  VhI 
;^OAHD    OF    yu^r>B,    JDbTROIT.    ;i4lCHiOAN. 


■■rtip'- 


'  *r  ^  l»W*^  J^il*,oOT; 


.^>      -,i 


■5*'      .*1 


»'l    "  'J'    '    4 


.s^*, 


MEMOIE 


UPON  THE 


Partbem  Jttter-#aanw  il0ttte 


OF  COMMERCIAL  TRANSIT, 


BETWEEN 


Tide  Water  of  Pnget  Scnnd  of  tbe  Pacific, 


AND. 


Tide  Water  on  the  St.  Lawrence  €air  of  the  Atlantic  Ocean. 


WRITTEN  FOR  AND  READ  BEFORE  THE 


w 


Board    of   Trade,    Detroit,     Michigan. 


By   OElVEllAi:.  T.  J.   CRAM:, 


U.  8.  CORPS  OF  ENGINEERS. 


DETROIT: 

PtTBLISHKlD    BY    THE    BOA-RD    OIP   TRA.BE, 

FRraTID  BT  THE  .DETROIT  DAILT  P08T. 


'  MOV  Iff  lb 


t 


/  i  .V 


HROUGH  Death's  Door  — the  entrance  of  Green 
Bay  into  Lake  Michigan  —  draw  on  the  map  a 
straight  line  bearing  S.  82°  W.  to  the  Pacific 
Ocean. 

By  glancing  at  a  recent  map  of  the  United 
States,  the  position  of  this  dividing  line  will  be 
fixed  in  the  mind.     It  will  be  found  to  pass 
O)  directly  through  St.  Paul  City,  Minn. ;  thence 

rossing  the  Rocky  Mountain  ridge  15  miles  south  of  the  "  South 
Pass;"  thence  through  Ogden,  Utah,  30  miles  north  of  the 
great  Mormon  city ;  from  Ogden,  through  Salt  Lake,  crossing 
the  Sierra  JsTevada,  25  miles  south  of  Carson  City,  Nevada; 
thence  directly  to  San  Francisco  City,  California.  Such  is  the 
position  of  the  first  dividing  line  of  the  map. 

Now,  proceeding  from  the  Door  on  this  line  only  130  piles 
to  where  it  cuts  the  Wisconsin  River,  we  shall  there  find  our- 
selves equidistant  over  land  from  Lake  Superior  and  Lake 
Michigan.  But,  as  we  advance  toward  the  Pacific,  every  other 
point  on  the  line  is  less  distant  from  Lake  Superior  than  from 
Lake  Michigan  ;  and  before  wt'  reach  even  the  Mississippi  River 
the  distance  of  the  former  is  not  one -half  the  distance  from 
the  latter  lake ;  and  every  other  point  in  our  territory  lying 
north  of  this  line,  as  we  proceed,  is  nearer  to  Lake  Superior  than 
to  Lake  Michigan ;  and  so  is  much  territory  lying  south  of  this 
first  dividing  line.  For  example,  Sioux  City,  at  the  junction  of 
the  Big  Sioux  and  Missouri  Rivers,  where  Nebraska  and 
Dakota  corner  upon  the  west  boundary  of  Iowa,  and  being  200 
miles  south  of  our  dividing  line,  is  nearly  200  miles  nearer  to 
Lake  Superior  than  to  Lak?  Michigan. 


Memoir  ttpon  the 


To  illustrate  this  striking  inequality  of  distances  in  favor  of 
Lake  Superior  to  a  fuller  extent,  draw  a  second  dividing  line 
from  Death's  Door,  bearing  S.  60°  W.  to  the  Pacific  straight 
across  the  map.    This  crosses  the  Mississippi  a  short  distance 
south  of  La  Crosse,  Wis.,  and  thence  passes  directly  through 
Omaha ;  thence  30  miles  south  of  Santa  Fee,  crossing  the  Rio 
del  Norte  at  Valentia,  New  Mexico ;  thence  through  San  Pedro 
and  Tubac  of  Arizona,  and  comes  out  at  Angel  Island,  in  the 
Gulf    of  California.      This   second   dividing   line   contains  the 
points  of  equal  distances  from  the  two  great   lakes  —  Superior 
and  Michigan ;  and  every  point  of  all  our  territory  lying  north 
of  it,  even  to  the  Pacific  Ocean,  is  nearer  to  the  head  of  Lake 
Superior  than  to  the  head  of  Lake  Michigan.     Geographically, 
therefore,  of  all  our  country  west  and  southwest  of  the  lakes  — 
the  Upper  Peninsula  of  Michigan;  one -half  of  Wisconsin;  all 
of  Minnesota  ;  all  of  Dakota ;  all  of  Montana ;  all  of  Washing- 
ton ;    one  -  third   of  Iowa  ;    eight  -  tenths  of  Nebraska  ;    all  of 
Wyoming  ;  all  of  Idaho ;  all  of  Oregon  ;  one  -  third  of  Kansas ; 
very  nearly  all  of  Colorado ;  all  ot  Utah ;  all  of  Nevada ;  all 
of  California;  three -fifths  of  New  Mexico,  and  nine -tenths  of 
Arizona,  are  situated  nearer  to  the  head  of  Lake  Superior  than 
to  the  head  of  Lake  Michigan.     And  in  proportion  as  we  go 
north  of  this  second  dividing  line   into  these  States  and  Ter- 
ritories, does  the  distance  become  farther  from  Lake  Michigan 
and  nearer  to  Lake  Superior. 

But  to  return  to  the  north  of  our  first  dividing  line,  into  what 
may  bo  stiictly  regarded  as  the  "  Northwest "  of  the  United 
States.  No  one  who  will  take  pains  to  study  its  map,  topogra- 
phy of  its  States,  Territories  and  towns,  its  minerals,  forests,  soils 
and  relative  climate  as  shown  by  the  isothermal  lines,  can  fail  to 
perceive  that  this  "Northwest,"  containing  870,'7'76  square  miles, 
must,  in  time  near  at  hand,  have  an  important  weUjJit  in  respect 
to  political,  productive,  and  commercial  interests. 

It  has  been  demonstrated  that  the  Rocky  Mountain,  the  Sierra 
Nevada  and  Cascade  Ranges,  traversing  this  Noithwest,  have 
passes  of  comparatively 'low  elevation,  through  which  the  iron 
links  of  railways  will  chain  all  its  States  into  one  continuous 
sisterhood  of  inter  -  commercial  connexion. 

Tliere  are  iu  this  Northwest  portion  of  the  United  States,  five 


'     ' 


i'V 


i  f^ 


}  h 


JVbrthern  Inter-  Oceanic  ^oute.  5 

hundred  and  sixty  millions  of  acres,  upon  a  large  portion  of 
which  railways,  when  constructed,  Avill  soon  imn^'ess  the 
prosperity,  wealth  and  power  now  possessed  by  such  States  as 
Michigan,  Ohio,  Indiana  and  Illinois. 

This  Northwest  contains  the  winter  wheat  region  of  this  con- 
tinent. It  is  richly  supplied  with  coal,  iron,  gold,  lead,  silver, 
and  copper,  with  forests  and  prairies,  with  good  building  stone, 
an  abundance  of  water,  and  with  an  immensity  of  water  power. 
The  salubrity  of  its  climate  is  remarkable.  It  is  favored  w"th 
a  temperature  so  mild  that  cattle  range  and  fatten  on  its  grasses 
throuijch  the  winter  as  hiijh  even  to  within  a  few  miles  of 
Cadott's  Pass  of  the  Rocky  Mountain  range. 

In  its  valleys,  all  kinds  of  fr.uit  incident  to  a  northern  temper- 
ate climate  grow  to  maturity.  Its  vast  feeding  grounds  aflbrd 
a  home  summer  and  winter  for  the  buffalo,  the  elk,  and  the 
antelope,  which  is  evidence  of  the  excellence  of  its  climate  and 
the  quality  of  its  native  grasses. 

In  short,  almost  every  element  of  wealth,  every  requisite  con- 
dition of  social  growth  and  prosperity  for  man,  naturally  and  so 
abundantly  exists  in  this  region  of  country  as  to  be  sufficient, 
after  deducting  all  waste  land,  for  the  well  being  of  at  least 
twenty  millions  of  civilized  christian  people. 

The  questions  arise :  How  is  this  Noi'thwest  to  be  filled  up  ? 
and  how  are  its  dormant  elements  of  wealth  to  be  utilized  ? 

It  is  no  new  axiom,  that  "  without  roads  there  can  be  no 
decent  society,  no  government,  commerce  or  intelligence." 
Works  constructed  by  the  Romans  and  Peruvians  —  some  of 
which  still  stand  and  challenge  the  abmiration  of  Engineers, — 
fully  attest  that  those  people  well  understood  the  force  of  this 
axiom. 

And  there  is  another  truth  which  I  need  not  stop  to  demon- 
strate, but  will  quote:  "That  in  proportion  to  the  number  and 
excellence  of  artificial  highways,  and  the  improvement  of  nat- 
ural channels  of  communication,  are  the  exchange  of  services 
between  men,  the  intercommunication  of  thought,  the  economy 
and  productiveness  of  labor,  the  increase  of  wealth,  the  growth 
of  comfort,  and  the  development  and  consolidation  of  the  civ- 
ilized state." 


I 


6 


Memoir  upon  the 


Now,  the  greatest,  cheapest,  most  effectual  and  most  natural 
means  for  providing  for,  and  visiting  all  these  benefits  upon  our 
"Northwest,"  are, — 


I.   TIIK   IMMEDIATE   CONSTEUCTION    OF   THE     PK0P08E1)     NOKTUBRN 
PACIFIC   UAILROAD. 

The  act  of  Congress  donating  lands  for  this  prescribes  that 
it  shall  bo  laid  north  of  the  4.')th  Parallel  of  North  Latitude. 
Its  termini  are  at  Seattle,  on  Puget  Sound,  and  a  point,  not  yet 
designated,  at  the  head  of  Lake  Superior.  The  same  act  author- 
izes the  company  to  construct  a  branch  from  wher«  the  main 
line  cuts  the  Columbia  River,  down  said  river  to  the  City  of  Port- 
land, Oregon.  It  also  gives  the  right  to  the  company  for  con- 
structing another  road  from  Portland  to  Seattle,  but  for  this 
latter  no  lands,  except  the  right  of  way,  are  donated. 

The  main  line  is  to  run  through  Minnesota,  Dakota,  Mon- 
tana, Idaho  and  Washington,  and  the  branch  through  Oregon, 
thus  accommodating  six  States  directly.  It  crosses  the  Rocky 
Mountain  Range  at  Cadott's  Pass,  and  the  Cascade  Range  at 
Snoqualime  Pass. 

To  enable  the  company  to  construct  it,  Congress  has  donated 
from  the  public  domain,  for  2;32  miles,  which  will  be  in  Minne- 
sota, a  strip  10  miles  wide  on  '^ach  side,  making  20  square  miles, 
or  20  sections,  to  each  lineal  mile  of  this  part,  and  for  all  the 
remaining  1,543  miles  of  the  line,  20  square  miles  on  each  side, 
making  40  square  miles  to  each  lineal  mile  of  this  part  of  the 
road. 

The  length  of  the  road  is  estimated  to  be  1,775  miles 
between  the  head  of  Lake  Superior  and  Puget  Sound.  The 
total  amount  of  land  donated,  and  to  be  selected  by  the  com- 
pany, is  66,360  square  miles,  or  42,470,400  acres,  which,  valued 
at  only  $2.50  per  acre,  gives  the  company  a  starting  basis  to  hire 
money  upon  of  |59,81 7  per  lineal  mile  of  road.  The  compara- 
tive cheapness  with  which  this  road  can  be  constructed  under 
proper  management,  is  strikingly  apparent,  by  simply  stating  a 
few  facts.  Its  route  is  cut  by  rivers,  already  navigated  by 
steamboats  from  their  several  mouths,  up  to  the  very  points  of 
intersection  by  the  road.     These  rivers  divide  the  line  into  seven 


/   V 


JVbrthern  Inter- Oceanic  'Konte. 


I  » 


of 


r'cn 


sections,  at  botli  extremities  of  each  of  wliich  tlie  work  of  con- 
struction could  commence  simultanoously;  and  all  supplies,  mate- 
rials, tools,  and  workmen,  can  be  readily  deposited  by  the  river 
navigation  upon  the  line,  at  the  extremities  of  the  seciio"". 
Throughout  the  whole  line  the  climate  is  healthy  for  men  lu 
labor  in.  On  the  route  there  exist  good  stone  and  wood,  af  a 
general  rule,  within  convenient  distance  for  its  construct)^!  ,  and 
near  to  the  eastern  terminus  all  the  iron  exists  for  niakini;  the 
rails  of  the  very  bebi  quality,  and  a  ship  nnvigation  from  the 
rolling  mil's  hich  will  soon  be  in  operation  at  Manpiette,  Micli- 
igan,  to  the  very  eastern  terminus  of  the  road.  These  are  cir- 
cumstances of  great  weight,  tending  to  lessen,  very  materially, 
the  cost  of  construction,  and  furnish  peculiar  advantages  to  this 
extensive  route.  Indeed,  it  would  seam  as  if  the  bountiful  hand 
of  Providence  had  provided  with  special  foresight  for  the  accom- 
plishment of  this  great  design. 

Besides  the  six  States  mentioned  which  will  be  put  in  direct 
communication  with  each  other,  and  with  the  whole  East,  by 
the  construction  ol  the  Northern  Pacific  Railroad,  there  is  just 
about  an  equal  area  of  good  country  on  the  North  in  British 
America,  embracing  the  Frazer,  Saskatchawan,  Assiniboin,  and 
Red  River  valleys,  wliich  would  also  be  accommodated  by  it 
with  a  favorable  communication  with  the  East,  and  it  would 
serve  as  the  leading  means  for  peopling  those  valleys,  from 
which,  in  due  time,  the  travel  and  traffic  would  be  found  to  be  a 
fruitful  source  of  revenue  to  the  road. 

But  there  is  another  and  more  immediate  soi  -ce  of  revenue 
that  the  company  may  count  on  for  their  road,  to  be  derived 
from  military  operations. 

Between  Minnesota  and  Washington  on  the  route,  and  along 
on  the  north  in  the  British  territory,  and  on  the  south  in  our 
own,  there  are  countless  tribes  of  Indians.  Just  as  fast  as  the 
construction  of  the  ropd  would  progress,  people  from  evei*y  land 
would  pour  in.  In  a  tVi^ort  time  from  their  advent,  the  cupidity 
and  hostility  of  the  red  men  would  be  roused,  and  history- 
repeating  itself,  Indian  wars  in  all  that  regir  i  would  commence, 
and  our  government  would  be  obliged  to  commence  and  for 
some  time  continue  military  operations  to  put  down  depreda- 
tions, requiring  a  vast  amount  of  transportation  on  the  road,  and 


T 


8  Memoir  upon  the 

after  qnelling  hostilities  the  military  posts  that  would  be  main- 
tained to  keep  the  peace,  would  be  supplied,  in  a  great  measure, 
over  the  road,  yielding  a  corresponding  revenue. 

Oui  Northwest  must  not  only  depend  upon  this  road  for 
becoming  fully  peopled,  but  it  must,  with  ether  roads  that  will 
connect  with  it,  and  some  of  which  are  now  being  built,  be  the 
means  of  outlet  to  connect  its  future  commerce  with  the  East  by 
ship  na\  jjation,  at  Lake  Superior;  and  this  will,  as  a  conse- 
quence, greatly  enlarge  the  business  through  the  lakes  and  their 
connecting  rivers,  whose  necessary  improvements  to  meet  this 
growing  demand  of  commerce  will  now  be  considered. 


II.  IMPROVEMimTS  FOR  A  SHIP  NAVIGATION  FOR  LARGE  VESSELS 
FROM  THE  HEAD  OF  LAKE  SUPERIOR  TO  TUK  MOUTH  OF  THE 
ST.    LAWRENCE    RIVER. 

1.  Wherever  the  final  terminus  of  the  Northern  Pacific  Rail- 
road is  made  at  Lake  Superior,  the  point  must  t>e  where  a  good 
and  safe  harbor  for  shipping  can  be  made  at  all  times  having 
not  less  than  sixteen  feet. 

If  Superior  City  be  made  the  terminus,  the  harbor  and  docks 
will  r  robably  cost  about  $750,000.  If  Ashland  or  Bayfield  be 
the  ultimate  terminus,  the  cost  would  be  very  much  less  —  we 
may  say  little  or  nothing,  except  for  docks.  But  a  terminus  at 
either  of  these  last  two  named  places  would  necessitate  an  addi- 
tional extent  of  50  to  60  miles  of  railway  construction  into  Wis- 
consin. To  permanently  rest  the  terminus  at  DuLuth,  Minne- 
sota, will  require  an  expenditure  of  about  $1,000,000  for  the  con- 
struction of  a  safe  harbor,  enclosed  by  ample  breakwaters,  and 
for  the  requisite  docks. 

The  relative  cost  of  the  harbor  constructions,  compared  with 
the  cost  of  extending  the  road  to  Ashland,  will,  in  a  measure, 
solve  tKe  problem  of  the  final  terminus  upon  Lake  Superior. 

The  next  improvement  in  descending  will  be  the  St.  Mary's 
Canal,  which  is  at  a  point  in  St.  Mary's  River  a  few  miles  below 
the  lower  end  of  Lake  Superior,  where  there  are  two  single  locks 
of  70X350  feet  chambers  and  9  feet  lifts.  It  is  well-known 
that  this  Canal  was  built  by  the  State  of  Michigan  from  the 
proceeds  of  public  lands  donated  by  the  United  States.  It  is 
under  State  control.     Since  its  corstruction,  the  commerce  of 


•i 


Northern  Inter- Oceanic  Xoute, 


9 


1 

I 


I 


Lake  Superior  has  augmented  so  much  as  already  to  require  the 
capacity  of  the  Canal  to  be  proportionately  increased.  With  a, 
view  of  having  it  improved  by  the  General  Government,  the 
Legislature  of  Michigan  passed  a  law  ceding  it  to  the  United 
States,  and  thus,  it  is  obvious,  the  lirst  step  has  been  taken  in 
the  accomplishing  of  this  object. 

This  Canal  cannot  be  made  to  answer  the  present  and  future 
demands  of  the  commerce  short  of  the  followinjj  items  of 
improvement,  viz  :  Deepen  the  existing  locks  to  give  16  feet  of 
water  on  the  mitre  sill — there  is  now,  at  low  stage  of  navigation, 
only  lOf  feet;  deepen  the  Canal  to  17  feet,  and  make  its  rough, 
rocky,  sloping  sides  vertical ;  prolong  the  upper  end  of  the  north 
bank  of  the  Canal  to  enable  vessels  coming  down  to  more  safely 
enter,  and  construct  another  lock  with  chamber  350X50  feet 
overcoming  the  fall  with  one  lift  along  side  the  present  locks. 
The  expense  of  these  improvements  cannot  be  given  witk  much 
certainty  until  an  examination  and  survey  be  made  with  a  view 
of  making  an  estimate.  The  cost  will  not  be  less,  I  venture  to 
say,  than  $250,000.  All  can  be  done,  however,  without  injury  to 
the  present  locks,  or  any  destruction  of  existing  works,  except 
the  old  gates,  mitre-sills,  and  some  of  the  old  grillage ;  and  what 
is  of  great  importance,  the  improvements  can  be  accomplished 
in  intervals  between  the  closing  and  opening  of  navigation,  and 
thus  without  interferinrT  with  the  passage  of  vessels  through  the 
Canal.  There  are  othi.r  places  besides  the  Canal  in  this  river 
requiring  attention,  and  which  have  been  recently  surveyed  in  a 
special  manner  under  the  orders  of  the  LTnited  States  Govern- 
ment, for  the  purpose  of  planing  for  and  estimating  the  costs  of 
their  improvement,  viz :  Boulder  rocks,  three  at  a  place  above 
and  three  at  places  below  the  Canal,  to  be  removed ;  the  west, 
or  American  cVanuel  of  the  East  Neebish  Rapids  to  be  widened 
and  straightened  ;  the  channel  at  the  head  of  Rains'  Island  to 
be  straightened  and  widened;  channel  at  the  foot  of  Sugar 
Island  to  be  straightened  and  widened ;  and  a  little  more  widen- 
ing to  be  done  on  one  side  at  the  foot  of  the  new  middle  chan- 
nel through  Lake  George,  for  an  extent  of  only  300  feet,  left 
undone  because  of  the  funds  falling  short  by  about  $8,000.  All 
these  five  improvements  will  cost  $149,021;  and  when  they  are 
made,  vessels  can  safely  pass  each  other  in  them,  and  the  river 


If 


10 


Memoir  upon  the 


be  safely  navigated  throughout  in  the  darkness  of  night.  At 
present,  they  do  not  attempt  night  running,  when  darJv,  and  con- 
sequently much  detention  ensues. 

Still  descending,  there  is  no  place  in  Lake  Huron,  nor  in  St. 
Clair  River,  requiring  improvement,  until  we  come  to  the  St. 
Clair  Flats  obstruction,  where  this  river  debouches  into  Lake  St. 
Clair.  This  obstruction  is  now  being  improved  upon  a  grand 
scale  by  the  United  States  Government,  with  a  new  Ship  Canal, 
straight  from  deep  water  of  the  lower  reach  of  the  liver  into 
deep  water  of  the  lake.  The  Canal  is  300  feet  wide,  14  feet 
deep,  with  dikes  rivetted  on  each  side,  rising  five  feet  above 
water  and  to  a  thickness  of  40  feet  on  top.  It  will  be  com- 
pleted and  opened  for  vessels  in  the  summer  of  1870.  It  is 
without  lock  at  foot  or  guard  gate  at  head,  and  so  constructed 
that  it  can  be  deepened  at  any  time  to  10  or  20  feet,  at  an  addi- 
tional cost  of  thirty  to  fifty  thousand  dollars,  without  in  the  least 
endangering  the  stability  of  the  dikes.  Its  length  is  about  1^ 
mile;  and  total  cost  will  be  $425,000  at  most;  all  of  the  funds, 
into  $15,000,  have  been  appropriated  by  Congress  for  its  comple- 
tion. 

Descending  from  this  important  Canal  through  Lake  St. 
Clair,  thence  through  Detroit  River  into  Lake  Erie,  and  through 
this  lake  into  the  Niagara  River  below  Buffalo  to  Schlosser, 
thei'e  is  no  obstruction  to  the  largest  draft  of  ship  navigation 
on  these  inland  seas,  until  we  come  to  the  Niagara  River  rapids 
and  its  stupendous  Falls.  Around  this  obstruction  there  exists, 
on  the  Canada  side,  the  well-known  Welland  Canal,  28  miles 
in  length,  leaving  Lake  Erie  at  Port  Colborne,  18  miles  west  of 
Buffalo,  and  debouching  into  Lake  Ontario  at  Port  Dalhousie 
avoiding  not  only  the  Falls,  but  all  the  Niagara  River,  thus 
throwing  aside  the  parts  above  and  below  the  Falls  which  are 
eminently  susceptible  of  deep  navigation,  and  overcoming  the 
total  Ml  from  the  head  to  the  foot  of  the  Canal  ot  'iM\  feet, 
with  27  locks  of  150x2G|  feet  of  chamber  and  only  lO^feet 
water  on  the  mitre  sills, 

This  total  of  334^  feet  is  to  be  regarded  as  the  difference  of 
level  between  Lake  Erie,  at  Port  Colborne,  and  Lake  Ontario,  at 
Port  Dalhousie.  Subtracting  the  perpendicular  descent  of  the 
Niagara  Falls  from  this,  the  remainder  would  be  the  fall  of  the 


i 


JVhrthern  Inter- Oceanic  !Route. 


11 


parts  of  the  river  which  ai'e  above  and  below  this  cataract.  It 
is  not  necessary  to  go  into  a  complete  history  of  the  construction 
of  this  important  work.  At  the  time  of  its  projection  it  was 
thought  it  would  have  capacity  enough.  It  only  admits  in  its 
maximum  capacity  vessels  140  feet  long  and  26  feet  beam,  draw- 
ing 10^  feet,  and  of  500  tons  burthen,  equivalent  only  to  16,667 
bushels  of  wheat. 

It  is  apparent  to  those  familiar  with  the  present  size  of  ves- 
sels —  of  which  there  are  quite  a  number  engaged  in  lake  com- 
merce little  short  of  300  feet  in  length,  including  bowsprit  —  and 
to  those  appreciating  the  rapid  growth  in  future,  that  to  fully 
meet  the  wants  of  this  commerce  by  the  Welland  Canal,  it 
would  have  to  be  greatly  enlarged. 

Cheap  freight  is  what  is  required  for  the  exports  and  imports 
of  the  Northwest,  and  the  whole  lake  countiy,  whether  on  the 
Canada  or  American  side. 

This  desideratum  can  be  attained  in  a  great  degree  by  hav- 
ing vessels  of  larger  capacity  and  providing  for  their  passing 
the  obstructions  by  a  well  devised  and  well  executed  system  of 
improvements.  The  expense  of  labor  for  navigating  a  vessel 
carrying  fifty  thousand  bushels  of  wheat  would  be  only  eight 
dollars  per  day  more  than  for  navigating  one  carrying  only 
25,000  bushels.  Experience  in  lake  navigation  has  shown  this 
statement  to  be  true.  A  certain  way,  then,  to  cheapen  freight, 
is  to  enlarge  existing  canals  and  deepen  correspondingly  the 
natural  channels  whore  obstructed. 

To  meet  the  question  upon  this  policy  squarely  in  the  face, 
the  Welland  Canal  should  have  its  locks  enlarged  to  chambers 
of  350X50  feet,  and  16  feet  of  water  on  the  mitre  sills;  and 
the  water  ways  everywhere  between  the  locks  in  ea'-tli  cutting 
or  embankment  to  a  width  of  90  feet  at  bottom  and  140  feet  at 
water  surface,  and  to  100  feet  in  width  with  sides  vertical  in 
rock  cutting,  and  to  a  depth  of  at  least  17  feet.  This  would  be 
on  a  scale  of  no  greater  capacity  than  proposed  for  the  ultimate 
improvement  of  the  Saul     'e  St.  Marie  Canal,  ai.d  St.  Clair  flats. 

But  there  is  a  verj  serious  natural  obstacle  to  improving  the 
Welland  Canal  to  such  capacity,  and  which  is  only  known  to  the 
initiated  few,  and  I  feel  'it  a  duty  to  commerce  to  state  that  I 
have  it  from  an  undoubted  source,  that  in  the  lake  in  front  of 


12 


Memoir  upon  the 


Port  Colborne,  which  is  at  the  head  of  this  canal,  there  is  a  wide 
extent  of  rock  formation,  coming  up  within  12  feet  of  the  sur- 
face of  the  lake ;  its  width  is  at  least  1,000  feet,  and  perhaps 
more.  Without  excavating  a  channel  thi'ough  this  rock,  which 
owing  to  exposure  to  gales,  would  cost  several  millions,  it  would 
be  useless  to  deepen  the  canal  to  more  than  1 2  feet  of  water  on 
the  mitre  sills. 

I  am  not  aware  of  any  minute  survey  having  been  made  of 
this  extensive  formation  u.,der  the  lake  water.  The  character  of 
the  rock  is  of  the  hardest  kind,  well  known  as  the  Black  Rock 
lime  stone. 

The  enlargement  of  this  canal,  with  locks  250  X  40  feet  of 
chambers,  and  12  feet  draft  on  the  mitre  sills,  has  been  estimated 
to  cost  $5,000,000  in  gold. 

To  enlarge  it  to  the  full  capacity  demanded,  and  to  blast  a 
corresponding  channel  through  the  lake  rock,  which  shall  give 
at  all  times  of  fluctuations  of  the  height  of  water  in  the  lake,  17 
feet  of  water,  would  probably  cost  from  ten  to  twelve  millions  of 
dollars. 

The  great  expense  of  such  an  improvement,  the  length  of 
time  required  to  make  it,  the  length  of  the  canal,  its  being  in  a 
foreign  country,  and  the  tolls  being  independent  of  any  regula- 
tion by  our  own  government,  are  points  of  objection  of  suflicient 
weight  to  induce  the  construction  of  a  shorter  and  better  Ship 
Canal  around  Niagara  Falls  on  the  American  side. 

This  is  of  so  much  importance  to  our  Northwest,  that  I  here 
take  occasion  to  enter  somewhat  extensively  into  a  review  of  this 
question,  with  a  view  of  explaining  its  most  important  engineer- 
ing points. 

This  is  no  new  project.  More  than  GO  years  ago,  during  Mr. 
Jefferson's  administration,  a  company  was  formed  under  a  grant 
from  the  State  of  New  York  to  make  this  Canal.  Hut  it 
lingered  ;  the  Erie  Canal  project  being  in  process  of  execution, 
throwing  the  project  for  one  around  the  Falls  in  the  shade, 
though  not  into  perfect  oblivion,  until  the  next  year  (1H26),  after 
the  opening  of  the  Erie  Canal,  when  a  survey  was  made  for  the 
Falls  Canal,  at  private  expense,  during  the  administration  of 
Jol.n  Qui  oy  Adams.  Upon  this  survey,  the  project  again  slept 
until  1835,  during  General  Jackson's  administralion,   when,  by 


■I 


J\/orthern  Inter-  Oceanic  '^oute. 


13 


authority  of  Conofress,  a  more  perfect  sui'vey  and  plans  and 
estimates  were  made  by  Captain  Williams,  Corps  of  Topograph- 
ical Engineers.  But,  to  the  disappointment  of  its  friends,  the 
project  was  again  doomed  to  slumber  through  all  succeeding 
administrations  until  Mr.  Lincoln's  first  terra,  when  the  military 
spirit  was  aroused  by  the  rebellion,  and  public  opinion  looked 
with  feverish  anxiety  to  the  military  necessity  of  the  Canal. 
Under  authority  of  Congress,  a  report  and  estimates  were  made 
by  a  civil  engineer,  appointed  by  President  Lincoln,  for  the  con- 
struction of  the  work.  Since  that  time  tedious  discussions  have 
been  held,  in  and  out  of  Congress,  as  to  whether  it  should  be 
constructed  by  a  company,  aided  by  funds  from  the  public 
treasury,  or  by  the  General  Government  alone,  resulting,  how- 
ever, only  in  another  survey  being  ordered  by  Congress  in  1867, 
during  the  admiinstration  of  President  Johnson.  In  these  dis- 
cussions the  project  has  lagged  from  the  want  of  sufficient 
support  for  directing  its  construction  by  Congress,  on  the  gi'ound 
that  it  ought  not  to  be  constructed  by  the  United  States,  unless 
with  the  previous  consent  of  the  State  of  New  York,  and  that  it 
would  diminish  the  revenue  of  that  State  derived  by  the  use  of 
the  Erie  Canal  for  moving  the  exports  of  the  Lake  and  North- 
western States  to  the  seaboard.  These  are  the  only  objections  I 
have  ever  hearJ  -  ^ainst  its  construction. 

And  now  (in  1869),  how  stands  the  question  of  this  con- 
templated Canal  ? 

Afler  the  long  period  of  sixty  years  or  more  since  its  import- 
ance was  first  publicly  agitated,  and  during  which  the  spasmodic- 
efforts  alluded  to  have  been  occasionally  manifested,  this  great 
national  design  reposes  upon  the  last  survey  made  in  1867,  under 
the*  direction  of  Colonel  Blunt,  Corps  of  Engineers,  and  is  no 
more  of  a  realization  than  it  was  at  the  first  survey  in  1808,  when 
the  M'ork  was  not  needed  the  one  -  hundredth  part  as  much  as  at 
the  present  time. 

II  our  Northwest  intends  it  shall  be  completed,  and  I  doubt 
not  its  loud  demands  will  force  its  construction,  either  by  private 
or  public  means,  as  soon  as  the  consequences  of  the  gigantic  con- 
solidations of  railroads  become  developed  in  their  relation  to  the 
transporta"  ion  of  products,  it  is  desirable  for  all  interested  in  the 
work  to  have  the  Canal  not  only  located  on  the  best  route,  but 


14 


Memoir  upon  the 


also  to  have  it  constructed  upon  a  plan  commensurate  with  all 
future  commerce  that  may  reasonably  be  expected  to  flow 
between  the  Pacific  and  Atlantic  along  the  routs  of  the  projected 
Northern  Pacific  Railroad  and  the  chain  of  Lakes. 

In  regard  to  location,  all  other  things  being  equal,  the 
shortest  of  the  practicable  lines  should  be  adopted.  The  short- 
est leaves  Niagara  River  at  Schlosser  (3  miles  above  the  Falls), 
and  debouches  into  this  River,  below  the  Falls  and  all  the 
rapids,  at  a  point  VOO  feet  north  of  the  steamboat  landing  at 
Lewiston,  N.  Y.,  being  *1^%-^  miles  long,  which  is  only  one-fourth 
the  length  of  the  Welland  Canal.  The  profile  on  this  route 
gives  the  total  fall  between  the  Schlosser  and  Lewiston  termini 
316  feet,  and  the  horizontal  distance  between  the  head  of  the 
upper  lock  of  Colonel  Blunt's  plan  and  the  river,  8,071  feet.  In 
this  space  he  proposes  21  double  locks  (20  of  15  and  1  of  16  feet 
lift)  to  pass  the  total  fall,  and  distributes  the  locks  in  5  flights, 
separated  by  some  short  basins,  and  there  is  to  be  a  guard  lock 
and  harbor  construction  at  Schlosser;  the  locks  to  be  only 
46  X  250  feet  in  chamber,  with  only  1 4  feet  water  on  the  mitre 
sill,  and  only  the  same  depth  (14  feet)  in  the  Canal  and  basins. 
Such  locks  would  not  admit  vessels  drawing  more  than  13^  feet, 
nor  of  length  more  than  245  feet,  and  45  feet  beam.  A  heavy 
vessel  of  that  draft  would  tow  prodigiously  hard,  and  with  snail 
progress  with  only  6  inches  of  water  under  her  keel. 

It  is  apparent  that  this  plan  falls  somewhat  short  of  what  will 
be  required,  in  having  no  more  depth  throughout  the  Canal  and 
basins  than  over  the  sills,  and  haying  the  lock  chambers  too 
short,  considering  that,  as  already  said,  we  now  have  lake  ves- 
sels little  short  of  300  feet  in  length.  The  body  of  the  Canal 
and  its  basins  should  have  their  water  at  least  12  inches  deeper 
than  over  the  sills. 

Colonel  Blunt's  plan  also  contemj)lates,  where  there  is  rock, 
that  the  width  shall  be  100  feet  and  sides  vertical,  and  in  clay 
90  feet  Wide  at  bottom  and  125  feet  at  the  water  surface.  These 
dimensions  are  well  chosen  and  cannot  be  improved.  His  esti- 
mate of  the  coot  of  the  whole  construction  is  $12,095,438. 

To  modify  this  plan  —  preserving,  however,  the  same  number 
of  locks  with  the  same  lifts,  but  making  the  chambers  350  X  50 
feet,  with   16  feet  water  on  the  sills  and  17  feet  depth  in  the 


J^rlhern  Inter- Oceanic  ftoute. 


16 


Canal  and  basins  —  will  augment  his  estimate  by  $1,361,821 
upon  the  same  prices  as  he  used,  which  would  make  the  total 
cost  of  this  modified  plan  amount  to  $13,457,259.  Hereafter  I 
shall  call  this  Colonel  Blunt's  plan  modified.  Should  the  Canal 
not  be  built  upon  this  larger  scale,  it  will  be  a  source  of  deep 
regret  ever  after.  The  locks  would  be  none  too  long  for  the 
largest  class  of  vessels,  nor  the  water  too  deep  in  times  of  varia- 
tion of  the  water  stages,  which  must  be  expected  to  occur  from 
time  to  time,  as  they  have  been  known  to  do  for  all  past  time. 

Colonel  Blunt  says  in  his  report:  "I  have  not  felt  myself  at 
liberty  to  consider  anything  but  well  known  systems  and  ])lans 
of  canal  construction.  *  *  Certain  projects  for  an  inclined 
plane,  and  for  a  single  lock,  or  well,  to  overcome  the  whole 
descent  at  once,  have  been  laid  before  me ;  but  I  have  not  had 
time,  had  I  felt  it  ray  duty,  to  investigate  them  thoroughly, 
and  cannot  take  the  respo'isibility  of  e^  ■  ressing  my  professional 
opinion  upon  them." 

The  great  engineering  problem  of  passing  ships  around  the 
Niagara  Falls,  is  of  too  much  importance  to  the  future  com- 
merce of  our  country  to  omit  candid  considerations  of  every 
reasonable  project  that  may  be  offered. 

In  this  place,  therefore,  I  take  occasion  to  bring  to  notice 
some  plans  other  than  the  "  well  known"  one  just  considered, 
and  which  have  been  submitted  to  me  for  critic  ism. 

The  plan  of  John  Burt,  Esq.,  is  to  make  the  Canal  from 
Schlosser  on  the  same  route  as  proposed  by  Colonel  Blunt,  to  a 
point  A  (see  profile),  which  is  within  about  1,100  feet  of  the  very 
fcrow  of  the  mountain  ;  then  to  turn  a  little  so  as  to  descend  the 
mountain  more  directly  to  the  lower  terminus ;  and  between  the 
point  A  and  the  brow  to  put  in  a  single  lock  of  316  feet  lift,  and 
thus  overcome  tliG  entire  lock;  jo  at  once.  The  chamber  of  this 
lock  to  be  100X400  feet,  and  excavated  with  sides  vertical 
down  tlirough  the  top  clay  and  all  the  underlying  rock  strata  to 
a  depth  of  16  feet  below  the  surface  of  the  river.  From  the  end 
of  this  chamber  which  is  towards  the  river,  a  tunnel  is  to  be 
excavated  in  the  rock,  for  a  ptirt  of  the  vessel  passage,  between 
the  chamber  and  the  river :  the  bottom  of  the  tunnel  to  be  on  a 
level  with  the  bottom  of  the  look  chamber ;  and  the  width  of 
the  tunnel  to  be  50  "^et,  and  its  height  from  the  bottom  to  the 


16 


Memoir  upon  the 


crown  of  the  arch  to  be  150]Jfeet,  or  as  much  less  as  will  allow 
vessels  with  their  masts  to  paos  saf'ly  through.  The  length  of 
the  tunnel  (between  the  lock  and  the  face  of  the  bluff)  will  be 
nearly  1,109  feet.  From  the  face  of  the  bluff  where  the  tunnel 
emerges  into  open  air  to  the  river  will  be  1,549  feet;  this  part  to 
be  a  thorough  cut  in  the  rock  open  to  the  sky,  and  to  be  contin- 
ued under  the  river  to  a  distance  from  the  shore  where  the  water 
is  found  of  sufficient  depth  for  vessels.  A  vessel  leaving  the 
river  to  ascend  first  passes  through  the  "  thorough  cut"  for  an 
extent  of  1,549  feet;  thence  through  the  "tunnel"  for  an  extent 
of  1,109  feet ;  thence  into  the  lock  chamber.  At  the  lower  end 
of  this  chamber  there  is  to  1  o  a  foot  gate  made  of  steel,  wide  and 
high  enough  to  close  the  whole  head  of  the  tunnel  opening. 
This  gate  is  not  to  swing,  but  to  slide  easily  up  and  down, 
having  counterpoises  like  a  window.  Just  above  the  chamber 
in  the  Canal  proper  there  is  to  be  a  head  gate  of  steel  or  iron. 
The  head  gate  being  closed,  the  ascending  vessel  in  the  chamber, 
the  foot  gate  is  closed.  Now  the  water  from  the  upper  level  is 
ir  to  be  let  into  the  lock  by  50  iron  tubes  of  two  feet  calibre, 
extending  from  just  back  of  tl:e  head  gatf  down  the  breast  wall 
of  the  chamber  and  along  the  bottom  of  the  chamber.  In  the 
horizontal  bed  parts  of  these  tubes  there  are  to  be  orifices 
allowing  several  hundred  jets  of  water  to  issue  upwards,  lifting 
the  vessel  by  their  upward  efforts,  distributed  and  applied 
equally  on  its  bottom  through  the  intervention  of  the  "  prism 
of  flotation,"  and  thus  to  lift  the  vessel  and  cargo  316  feet 
vertically  to  the  upper  level,  with  the  great  advantage  of  not 
surging  the  vessel  against  the  sides  of  this  chamber,  and 
thereby  saving  it  from  the  damage  usually  experienced  in 
letting  the  water  in  by  sluices  or  wickets.  The  vessel  being 
raised  the  h^ad  gate  is  opened,  and  the  vessel  passes  on  its  way 
up  through  ihe  Canal. 

The  filling  and  emptying  of  the  lock  through  the  tubes  are 
regulated  and  controlled  at  pleasure  by  a  highly  ingenious 
system  of  rotary  valves  of  Mr.  Burt's  invention.  The  inlet 
valves  are  applied  to  the  parts  of  the  tubes  back  of  the  head 
gate,  and  the  outlet  valves  to  those  parts  of  the  bed  tubes  which 
are  just  below  the  foot  gate.  And  he  is  perfectly  satisfied  that 
he  has  perfected  the  arrangement  and  manner  of  working  these 


JVbrlhern  Inter- Oceanic  ^oute. 


17 


valves  with  ease,  security,  and  success  for  rapidly  filling  and  dis- 
charging the  chamber. 

Of  Qourse  it  is  very  readily  seen  that  the  practical  success  of 
his  plan  must  depend  materially  upon  the  working  of  his  rotary 
valves.  Having  described  all  the  essential  featui'es  of  his  design, 
also  tlie  process  of  passing  a  vessel  wjo,  it  is  easy  to  under- 
stand how  one  is  to  be  passed  down.  The  lock  being  empty, 
except  of  its  prism  of  flotation,  both  gates  and  the  escape  valves 
are  closed,  the  inlet  valves  are  opened,  and  through  these  the 
chamber  is  filled.  The  head  gate  is  then  opened,  and  the 
descending  vessel  passed  into  the  chamber.  The  head  gate  and 
inlet  valves  are  now  closed,  and  the  escape  valves  are  opened, 
through  which  the  prism  of  lift  runs  down,  lowering  the  vessel 
as  the  chamber  empties ;  the  foot  gate  is  then  raised  and  the 
vessel  passed  on  through  the  "  Tunnel "  and  "  Thorough  Cut  '* 
into  the  river  below. 

It  is  thus  seen  that  the  principle  upon  which  the  water  itself 
is  made  to  do  the  lifting  and  lowering  is  the  same  as  in  the 
ordinary  lock. 

A  few  words  here  must  suflice  in  respect  to  Mr.- Burt's  Mam- 
moth Steel  Foot  Gate  of  50  feet  width  by  150  feet  height.  This 
undoubtedly  can  be  constructed  with  as  much  nicety  and  all 
sufficient  strength,  and  to  move  in  its  grooves  with  ease  and 
more  pei'fect  tightness  than  a  wooden  gate.  It  would  require 
besides  its  counterpoises,  only  sufficient  force  to  overcome  the 
friction  at  the  pulley  journals  to  slide  it  up  and  down.  It  would 
not  be  moved  except  wlien  the  resultant  of  the  pressures  of  the 
water  against  it  would  be  zero,  for,  when  lowered  or  raised,  it 
would  only  be  in  the  prism  of  flotation,  pressing  it  equally  on 
both  sides. 

When  closed  and  chamber  filled,  the  water  would  force  the 
gate  against  all  its  bearings,  with  a  resultant  pressure  of  68,708 
tons,  tending  to  tighten  the  gate  against  its  bearings.  Take  two 
strips  of  12  inches  in  height  of  the  gate —  one  being  down  just 
above  the  prism  of  flotation,  where  the  strain  would  be  greatest, 
and  the  other  just  below  the  arch  of  the  tunnel — the  pressure  on 
every  square  foot  of  the  first  would  be  9^^  tons,  and  upon  the 
second  6j\"tj-  tons.  The  strain  upon  the  lower  strip  could  be 
assimilated  to  that  upon  a  beam  50  feet  long  fixed  against  a 
3 


18 


Memoir  upon  the 


.i* 


thrust  at  both  ends,  having  12  inches  for  the  breadth  of  its  cross- 
setcion,  and  being  loaded  with  493  tons  uniformly  distributed. 
It  would  be  upon  these  data  that  Mr.  Burt  would  have  to  com- 
pute the  thickness  of  his  steel  gate.  When  its  shape  and  thick- 
ness are  computed,  to  most  effectually  resist  the  pressure,  its 
weight  will  result,  also  the  weight  of  its  counterpoises ;  then  the 
friction  upon  the  journals  of  the  pulleys  could  be  estimated. 
Until  we  ascertain  how  much  extra  force  would  be  necessary  to 
overcome  this  friction,  and  whether  it  would  require  a  steam 
engine  or  a  water-power  derived  from  the  great  head  of  fluid  in 
the  lock,  to  move  the  gate,  it  is  difficult  to  decide  upon  the  merit 
of  this  particular  point  of  the  plan  without  more  study  than  I 
have  devoted  to  it. 

The  counterpoises  can  be  arranged  with  simplicity  and 
security  against  accidents. 

This  lock  is  intended  to  pass,"  if  required,  six  vessels  at  once. 
This  capacity,  and  all  the  lockage  being  concentrated  in  one  lift, 
are  good  features  in  the  plan.  The  route  selected  is  especially 
adapted  to  the  execution  of  the  design,  and  there  are  no  engi- 
neering difficulties  in  the  way:  nature  having  furnished,  as  we  all 
know,  an  unlimited  supply  of  water  to  feed  the  chamber  from 
the  upper  level ;  also,  a  bold  rock  bluiF  projecting  out  so  near 
the  river  in  which  the  "  Chamber,"  "  Tunnel,"  and  "  Thorough 
Cut "  would  be  made  in  strata  shown  by  a  geological  survey 
[see  the  geological  profile]  to  be  well  suited  to  construction  and 
permanency. 

Mr.  Burt  estimates  the  cost  of  the  whole  work  upon  his 
method  at  $9,256,376,  which  is  less  by  $2,743,624  than  Colonel 
Blunt's  plan  upon  the  same  route  and  depth  of  14  feet.  But  to 
have  17  feet  in  the  Canal  and  16  feet  on  the  sill,  Mr.  Burt's  plan 
must  cost  at  least  $11,500,000.  This  is  less  than  the  estimate 
for  Colonel  Blunt's  plan  modified  by  $1,957,259. 

Mr.  Burt  claims  that  his  one  lock  will  be  more  permanent 
and  safer  for  passing  vessels,  requiring  less  repair,  than  21 
double  locks,  and  safer  from  an  enemy's  attack  ;  that  it  will  cost 
much  less  for  the  working  of  the  Canal,  his  lock  requiring  only 
8,  while  the  21  double  locks  would  require  200,  men  in  atten- 
dance. These  are  points  well  taken,  and  apply  with  great  force 
to  the  question. 


^brthern  Inter- Oceanic  Soute. 


19 


He  also  claims  that  his  plan  would  pass  vessels  with  greater 
dispatch ;  that  his  "  mammoth "  lock  would  pass  one  or  six 
vessels  in  40  minutes ;  while  Colonel  Blunt's  plan  would  require 
8  to  10  hours;  and  that  his  lock  could  pass  216  vessels  in  24 
hours,  while  Colonel  Blunt's  flights  could  pass  only  144  in  the 
same  time." 

If  there  could  always  be  six  vessels  at  a  time  to  pass,  proba- 
bly he  would  be  right  in  his  opinion  upon  this  point.  But 
suppose  only  one  to  present  itself,  claiming  no  delay  for  others 
to  arrive  ? 

Dispatch  is  an  element  of  great  importance,  and  should  have 
much  weight  in  the  problem  of  construction  of  the  locks  for 
this  Canal.  It  is  a  question  to  be  settled  by  the  application  of 
well-known  mathematical  formulas,  as  soon  as  the  number  and 
diametres  of  the  orifices  and  structure  of  the  apertures  of  his 
valves  are  given.  It  is  easy  to  perceive  that  the  times  of  filling 
and  emptying  the  chamber  of  his  lock  could  be  diminished  very 
materially,  almost  ad  libitum,  simply  by  assigning  proper  shapes 
and  larger  diametres  to  the  tubes  at  the  inlet,  and  to  the  aper- 
tures of  the  valves,  and  to  the  orifices  in  the  bed  tubes. 

Inasmuch  as  the  supply  is  inexhaustible,  the  relative  con- 
sumption of  water  necessary  for  working  the  locks,  whether 
upon  Colonel  Blunt's  or  Mr.  Burt's  plan,  is  of  no  consequence, 
except  in  respect  to  the  time  of  filling  and  emptying  the 
chambers. 

By  making  the  apertures  of  the  50  inlet  and  outlet  valves  in 
Burt's  in  the  shape  of  the  "  vena  oontracta,"  and  24  inches 
diametre  of  smallest  section  of  the  vein,  and  placing  the  former 
20  feet,  which  is  a  convenient  distance,  below  the  upper  water 
level,  I  find  the  time  for  filling  would  be  ^2-^^^  minutes,  and 
for  emptying  19^^  minutes.  Hence,  an  ascending  vessel, 
arriving  when  the  lock  is  empty,  could  be  passed  in  35  minutes, 
and  arriving  when  the  lock  is  full  it  could  be  passed  in  55  minutes, 
and  a  descending  vessel,  arriving  when  the  lock  is  empty,  could 
be  passed  in  55  minute?,  and  arriving  when  the  lock  is  full  it 
could  be  passed  in  22  minutes.  A  double  lock  upon  Mr.  Burt's 
plan  would  relieve  the  Canal,  in  a  measure,  from  the  dotention 
to  navigation,  while  making  repairs,  should  one  lock  get  out  of 
order.     In  this  I'espect,  and  with  a  view  to  future  increase  of 


20  Memoir  upon  the 

commerce,  the  question  might  be  asked:  Would  it  not  be 
better  to  make  a  double  lock  upon  his  plan,  with  chambers 
about  60X400  feet, than  a  single  one  of  100x400  leet  chamber? 
Before  adopting,  however,  such  deep  chambers,  there  is  another 
circumstance  not  yet  touched  upon,  which  should  not  be  over- 
looked, and  which  has  reference  to  the  seams  and  fissures  in  the 
rock  strata  in  which  they  would  be  made.  The  geological 
profile  presented  shows  eight  strata  of  diiferent  kinds  of  rock, 
down  through  which  the  chamber  would  be  excavated,  and  the 
upper  level  of  the  Canal  is  to  be  excavated  in  the  top  stratum. 
Suppose  seams  and  fissures  should  allow  the  water  in  the  upper 
level  to  find  its  way  around  or  under  into  the  chamber?  In  such 
a  contingency  there  might  result  many  little  cascades  spouting 
into  the  chamber,  sufficient  to  produce  inconvenience  to  the 
vessel  and  cargo  while  being  raised  or  lowered  in  the  lock.  It 
would  not  be  difficult  to  remedy  this  by  proper  engineering. 

The  rushing  in  of  water  through  the  fifty  tubes,  with  a  head 
at  the  start  of  not  less  than  17  or  20  feet,  would  probably 
produce  so  smart  a  current  in  the  canal  above  as  would  interfere 
with  easy  and  safe  progress  of  vessels  which  might  be  pass- 
ing to  and  fro  therein  while  the  lock  would  be  filling.  To 
obviate  this  and  to  give  room  for  waiting  vessels,  a  large  basin, 
say  200  X  400  feet,  with  1 7  feet  depth  of  water,  should  be  con- 
structed a  short  distance  above  the  mammoth  lock.  Indeed  a 
basin  should  be  made  there  for  any  plan  of  locks. 

In  passing,  I  may  say  that  I  am  very  confident  Burt's  method 
of  letting  the  water  in  and  out  by  tubes  could  be  applied  to  the 
ordinary  lock  with  advantage,  to  prevent  the  usual  surging  and 
pitching  of  the  vessel  while  filling  the  chamber ;  and  I  would 
express  the  hope  that  his  magnificent  project  will  receive  the 
careful  consideration  of  canal  engineers,  to  the  end  of  fully  and 
fairly  developing  all  its  merits  or  demerits  before  adopting  or 
rejecting  it.  It  certainly  is  easy  of  application  on  this  particular 
route.  In  its  working,  the  force  of  the  water  itself,  of  which 
there  is  a  vast  amount  now  being  wasted,  would  be  the  moving 
power,  requiring  no  expensive  extraneous  stationary  power  to 
lift  or  lower  the  vessel  with  its  cargo.  In  this  respect,  therefore, 
it  is  immeasurably  superior  to  an  inclined  plane  attached  to  the 
lower  end  of  the  Canal,  as  proposed  by  Horace  Day,  Esq.:  or  to 


jybrthern  Inter- Oceanic  :Route, 


21 


the 
It 


a  marine  railway  all  the  way,  with  an  inclined  plane  at  each 
extremity,  advocated  by  tev«ral  civil  engineers  some  years  since, 
and  whoso  opinions  Mr.  Day  circulated  in  a  pamphlet,  and  used 
in  his  strenuous  advocacy  of  the  inclined  plane  part  of  the 
marine  railway  project  being  applied,  in  preference  to  locks,  to 
the  Lewiston  end  of  a  Canal,  for  overcoming  the  316  feet  fall  by 
using  stationary  power;  or,  as  good  luck  might  bring  two  vessels 
from  opposite  directions  simultaneously,  causing  the  descending 
to  haul  up  the  ascending  one — each  carried  in  a  tight  dock 
containing  water  for  the  vessels  to  safely  ride  in,  the  docks  being 
moved  on  1,800  rollers  fixed  in  the  plane  of  2y^  miles  in  extent, 
and  connected  by  a  cabl^  tliat  long,  going  around  a  windlass  at 
the  top  of  the  plane,  and  a  canal  constructed  for  the  remainder 
of  the  passage  around  the  Falls.  The  demerits  of  this  plan 
were  so  luUy  pointed  out  in  t  former  communication  that  it  is 
unn'-'cessary  here  to  present  them  for  reconsideration,  being 
satisfied  that  full  justice  was  then  done  to  Mr.  Day's  project. 

But  there  is  another  plan  not  yet  touched  upon  which  has 
recently  been  presented,  emanating  from  one  of  high  standing 
and  too  much  experience  to  be  omitted  in  this  memoir. 

It  is  the  plan  of  Caleb  Forshey,  Civil  Engineer,  devised  for 
the  Lewiston  end  of  the  Canal,  and  designed  to  overcome  the 
total  fall  at  once  without  a  lift  lock,  and  yet  relying  on  the 
weight  of  water  for  lifting  and  low^^ring  the  vessel  and  cargo. 
(See  drawing  of  the  section.) 

The  plan  consists  of  two  parallel  thorough  cut  canals,  with 
sides  vertical  and  smooth,  extending  from  the  river  80  feet  wide, 
and  water  deeper  in  them  than  1 7  feet  (by  a  quantity  a;,  which 
may  be  calculated).  These  cuts  to  penetrate  the  rock  formation 
into  the  mountain  brow  2,680  feet  horizontal  distance  from  the 
water's  edge.  At  the  stopping  place  in  the  brow  of  these  deep 
cuts,  their  breasts  from  their  very  bottoms  are  to  be  made  also 
vertical  and  smooth  as  high  up  as  299  feet  above  the  river's 
surf >,ce ;  thence  the  thorough  cuts  are  to  be  continued  600  leet, 
with  their  bottoms,  however,  only  at  the  same  level  as  the  tops 
of  the  breast  heights,  and  terminate  in  an  uppcsr  basin  of  the 
size  of  400x600  feet  on  top  of  the  mountain,  and  having  17  feet 
depth  of  water.  From  the  upper  basin  to  Schlosser,  the  Canal 
to  be  single,  with  IV  feet  of  water,  with  dimensions  in  width, 


Memoir  upon  the 


.   A!  :.   J, 


w 


guard  lock  and  harbor  at  Schlosser  as  in  the  proposed  modifica- 
tion of  Colonel  Blunt's  and  Mr.  Burt's  plans  for  this  part  of  the 
line. 

The  pier  or  prism  of  rock  left  between  the  two  branches  of 
the  bifurcated  part  of  the  Canal  is  to  be  about  80  feet  thick,  and 
its  rock  top,  also  the  rock  top  on  either  side  of  the  branches,  are 
to  be  brought  to  level  and  firm  benches  at  the  same  height. 
These  benches  commence  a  little  above  and  extend  about  350 
feet  below  the  breapt  heights;  and  the  inner  corners  of  the 
benches  are  to  be  plated  with  thick  iron  if  the  rock  should  not 
prove  sufficiently  strong  without  it. 

In  each  canal  branch  just  above  the  breast  height  there  is  to 
be  a  tail  gate,  not  in  mitre  shape  but  straight  across,  with  two 
leaves  opening  by  swinging  inwards,  and  when  shut  bearing 
against  a  straight  sill  at  bottom,  allowing  16  feet  of  water  over 
it.     This  gate  when  shut  is  to  be  fastened  by  iron  hooks. 

There  are  two  large  docks  to  be  constructed  of  iron,  into 
■which  water  is  to  be  put  to  float  the  vessel  and  cargo  in.  Each 
dock  is  to  have  two  gates  —  one  at  each  end  —  also  straight 
across,  opening  inwards,  and  bearing  when  closed  against  a 
bottom  sill,  and  fastened  by  iron  hooks. 

Wire  ropes,  having  theii  ends  firmly  anchored  into  the  tops 
of  the  benches  of  the  outer  sidos  of  the  canal  branches,  and 
passing  down  these  sides  under  the  dock  bottoms,  thence  con- 
tinued up  the  inner  sides  of  the  canal  branches,  and  over  high, 
strong  pulleys  fixed  upon  the  pier  bench,  are  to  suspend  and 
can-y  the  docks  in  their  vertical  motion  alternately  up  and  down 
as  may  be  required  —  one  dock  always  going  up  as  the  other 
goes  down,  each  carrying  its  passing  vessel  or  vessels.  To 
enable  the  system  to  move  up  and  down  with  precision,  safety, 
ease,  and  diminished  friction,  small  pulleys  with  deep  grooves 
are  to  be  firmly  set  in  the  sides  of  the  canals;  also  in  the  bot- 
toms of  the  docks ;  and  the  suspending  ropes  are  to  wonder  in 
the  grooves. 

The  ends  of  the  canp's  at  the  tail  gates,  and  the  ends  of  the 
docks  which  come  up  there,  are  to  be  furnished  with  ample 
India  rubber  "buffers,"  so  that  when  the  dock-ends  come  fairly 
up  they  shall  lay  water-tight  or  nearly  so,  on  being  fastened 
with  hooks  to  the  ends  of  the  canals;  and  thus,  when  the  tail 


JVortfiern  Inter- Oceanic  ^onte. 


23 


gate  and  dock  gate  are  opened,  the  dock  may,  to  all  intents  and 
purposes,  be  a  part  or  prolongation  of  the  canal  branch ;  anu  a 
vessel  with  its  cargo  can  float  over  the  sills  from  the  Canal  into 
the  dock,  or  vice  versa. 

Having  given  a  description  of  all  the  essential  parts  of  the 
Forshey  plan,  it  remains  to  give  his  explanation  of  its  prao  ical 
working  for  passing  vessels. 

One  dock  being  joined  end  to  end  with  and  hooked  to  its 
corresponding  upper  canal,  the  other  dock,  of  course,  will  be 
down  in  its  corresponding  lower  canal,  from  which  the  vessel  to 
be  lifted  enters  this  dock,  whose  gates  are  now  closed  and 
hooked.  'J'hen  the  water  is  let  through  wicket  gates  (set  in  the 
tail  and  lock  gates)  into  the  upper  dock  from  the  Canal  until 
tilled  to  the  same  level  as  in  the  Canal,  the  buffers  preventing 
undue  leakage.  Then  the  tail  and  lock  gates  are  opened,  and 
the  descending  vessel  (if  there  be  one  at  hand),  will  be  floated 
into  the  dock  and  all  the  gates  t'hut. 

It  is  a  part  of  the  plan  that  by  exact  gauge  marks  fixed  in 
both  docks  it  can  always  be  readily  told  when  the  docks  are  pro- 
perly freighted;  and  when  the  adjustments  are  such  that  an  equi- 
librium exists  between  the  weight  whi(;h  is  to  descend  and  that 
which  is  to  ascend,  by  adding  more  water  to  the  upper  dock  it 
will  begin  to  descend,  and  in  a  very  short  time  rest  in  the  water 
of  its  lower  canal ;  and  the  other  dock  will  be  found  lifted,  with 
its  vessel,  to  the  tail  gate  o?  its  corresponding  upper  canal,  where 
it  is  to  be  secured  by  the  hooks ;  and  being  water-tight  at  the 
buffers,  the  wicket  gates  on  being  opened  will  allow  the  vacant 
space  between  the  tail  and  lock  gates  to  be  filled,  and  the  water 
in  the  canal  and  lock  to  come  to  the  same  level.  Then  these 
gates  and  that  of  the  descended  dock  will  be  opened  and  the 
vessels  removed  from  both  docks  and  allowed  to  proceed  on 
their  respective  ways,  and  the  docks  ready  to  receive  other 
vessels. 

Sometimes  two  or  more  vessels  will  be  made  to  enter  one  dock 
to  counterpoise  one  or  more  in  the  operation  of  lifting  and 
lowering. 

In  case  no  vessel  be  ready  to  counterpoise  one  seeking  to  pass 
either  way,  the  balance  will  be  effected  by  water  only  in  the 


24 


Memoir  upon  fhe 


dock  which   has  no  vessel;   and  in  all   cases  the  bals?ncing, 
adjusting  and  moving  required  will  be  effected  by  water. 

For  the  purpose  of  regulating  the  rate  of  movement,  for 
starting  and  stopping  at  pleasure,  also  for  working  pumps  for 
adding  or  subtracting  water  to  perfect  the  adjustments  of  the 
docks  and  to  move  the  system,  the  plan  contemplates  the  use  of 
a  steam  engine. 

Such  is  the  method  of  Colonel  Forshey.  Now,  I  estimate 
that  both  locks,  with  their  loads  of  two  of  the  largest  freighted 
ships  passing  —  one  up  and  the  other  down  —  would  weigh  not 
less  than  19,972  tons,  and  this  would  be  the  weight  to  be  sus- 
tained by  the  ropes. 

Each  rope  would  be  1,030  feet  long;  and,  supposing  it  6 
inches  in  circumference  and  made  of  iron  wire,  it  would  weigh 
2j^  tons,  and  it  would  require  126  such  and  as  many  top  pulleys 
to  sustain  the  loaded  docks,  including  the  weights  of  the  ropes. 
The  pressure  upon  the  journals  of  each  pulley  would  be8I|  tons. 
There  are  other  forces  besides  to  contend  with  in  the  movemei  t, 
viz:  friction,  rigidity,  and  the  additional  weight  of  water  jut 
into  the  dock  to  move  the  system.  The  effect  of  all  the  fore- 
going forces  constantly  acting  would  be  to  stretch  the  ropes. 

Again,  notwithstanding  all  the  regulation  of  motion  hat 
may  possibly  be  effected  by  the  steam  engine,  the  moving  mass 
would  be  liable  to  shocks  exerting  a  percussive  force  upon  the 
ropes,  tending  to  snap  them  asunder,  like  a  hawser  broken  under 
the  jerk  of  a  vessel. 

It  seems  to  me  there  would  be  a  liability,  though  they  might 
not  break,  of  the  ropes  stretching  so  much  under  the  constant 
action  of  such  heavy  forces,  that  when  the  dock  conios  up  to  the 
upper  Canal,  the  sill  of  its  gate  and  that  of  the  tail  gate  might 
not  be  on  the  same  level.  The  variation  in  the  height  or' the 
lock  sill  by  the  expansion  of  the  ropes  from  freezing  temperature 
to  the  highest  summer's  heat,  would  be  appreciable.  To  bring 
the  lock  sill  flush  up  to  the  canal  sill,  would  require,  on  account 
of  these  causes,  during  the  season  of  navigation,  a  continual 
vexatious  readjustment  of  the  lengths  of  the  ropes,  and  there 
Avould  be  difficulty  of  no  small  magnitude  in  hooking  the  ends 
of  the  dock  and  Canal  together,  and  of  preserving  sufficient 
tightness  at  the  buffers. 


JVbrthern  Inter- Oceanic  ^oute. 


25 


As  soon  as  the  descending  dock  begins  to  move  there  is  a 
growing  preponderance  in  its  favor,  arising  from  the  weight  of 
increasing  amount  of  rope  on  its  side,  causing  an  accelerated 
motion  which  it  would  be  unsafe  to  check  and  difficult  to 
regulate  by  the  engine. 

Another  circumstance  is  that  where  the  descending  dock 
immerses  in  the  water  of  the  lower  canal,  un  oscillation  or 
bouncing  cannot  be  prevented  so  effectually  by  any  application 
of  the  regulating  engine  as  to  avoid  jerking  the  ropes,  if  not 
entirely  out  of  the  pulley-grooves,  still  so  strongly  against  their 
sides  or  edges  as  soon  to  chafe  the  ropes  to  pieces.  Should 
they  be  thrown  out  of  place  or  become  "  foul"  down  under  the 
dock  in  that  water,  serious  detention  would  occur;  and  this 
liability  would  be  produced  by  another  cause,  which  is,  that  in 
the  river  at  Lewiston  there  is  sometimes  a  considerable  swell 
from  the  northerly  winds,  which  would  be  communicated  to  the 
lower  bifurcated  canal  and  so  agitate  the  dock  there  as  to  jerk 
hard  upon  the  ropes.  This  effect  might,  however,  be  avoided 
in  a  measure  by  putting  in  guard  gates ;  but  if  they  were  put  in 
they  would  have  to  be  opened  many  times  when  that  wind 
would  be  blowing. 

Again.  Under  the  most  favorable  circumstances,  where 
ropes  are  used  over  fixed  pulleys  and  against  fixed  points  like 
those  in  this  plan,  with  heavy  action  upon  them,  they  soon  wear 
out.  Oxydation,  too,  of  the  journals  of  the  top  and  all  other 
pulleys  in  the  plan,  and  of  the  ropes  themselves,  is  a  cause  of 
deterioration  difficult  to  contend  with.  The  renewal  of  the 
ropes  and  pulleys  would  be  a  heavy  item  of  expense  to  be  often 
incurred. 

To  sustain  a  pressure  of  81f  tons,  the  journals  of  every  top 
pulley  would  have  to  be  large,  and  the  friction  would  be  in  pro- 
portion not  only  to  this  large  pressure,  but  ito  opposing  effect 
would  be  proportional  to  the  diameters  of  the  journals. 

In  the  motions  of  the  docks  up  and  down,  vessels  floating  in 
them  with  their  heavy  top-masts,  spars  and  rigging,  would 
careen  and  pitch.  Drafts  of  wind,  even,  rushing  through  the 
thorough  cuts  would  give  tendency  to  oscillation  of  the  sus- 
pended masses,  and  the  docks  would  be  liable  to  hit  against  the 
walls.     To  prevent  this,  possibly,  rollers  miglvc  be  intervened  or 


26 


Memoir  upon  the 


buffers  put  upon  the  sides  of  the  docks ;  and  it  may  be  asked, 
what  master  of  a  vessel  would  have  confidence  in  the  safety  of 
his  vessel  seeing  it  suspended  more  than  300  feet  high  in  mid 
air? 

The  foregoing  circumstances  are  so  many  practical  difficulties 
in  the  way  of  successfully  working  this  ingenious  plan,  and 
must  be  provided  for  bef-^ie  one  would  be  justified  in  adopt- 
ing it. 

I  think  its  first  cost,  which  would  probably  be  about 
$12,000,000,  and  the  expense  consequent  upon  wear  and  tear, 
would  make  this  plan  in  the  end  a  more  expensive  one  than  the 
plan  of  Mr.  Burt  or  taat  of  Colonel  Blunt,  to  say  nothing  of  the 
much  greater  risk  and  want  of  confidence  in  its  use. 

Its  author  claims  much  expedition  for  the  passage  of  vessels 
by  it.  There  are  so  many  adjustments  and  other  circumstances 
to  attend  to,  requiring  time,  and  above  all,  so  many  different 
kinds  of  :<^'^rces  complicated  in  its  working,  that  it  is  very  diflicult 
to  come  to  a  definite  opinion  as  to  the  time  it  would  consume  to 
make  a  given  number  of  passages  of  vessels  by  this  method. 

Before  dismissing  the  question  of  overcoming  all  the  fall 
brought  between  the  mountain  brow  and  the  Lewiston  terminus 
on  this  short  route,  there  is  one  more  plan  presented  for  the 
consideration  of  engineers,  and  which  consists  in  making  two 
thorough  parallel  cuts  commencing  at  the  river's  edge,  following 
Burt's  route,  and  penetrating  4,645  feet  horizontally  into  the 
mountain  brow  :  these  cuts,  however,  not  to  be  at  the  full  depth 
all  the  way,  as  in  Burt's  or  I'orshey'e  plans,  but  to  rise  in  steps. 
The  first  step,  which  is  that  next  the  river,  to  be  410  feet  long 
and  17  feet  deep  below  the  river's  surface;  the  next  step  lo  have 
its  tread  at  the  same  level  as  the  river's  surface,  and  to  be  385 
feet  long  and  rise  2%}^  feet ;  also  all  the  other  steps  385  feet  long 
and  26^^  feet  rise  as  we  ascend.  There  would  be  1 2  steps  and 
the  same  number  of  risers  in  each  thorough  cut. 

On  these  steps,  between  the  vertical  rock  sides  of  the  cuts, 
this  plan  proposes  to  arrange  a  flight  of  12  double  locks,  each 
with  a  V>*\  of  20t^  feet,  and  chamber  50X350  feet,  having  10  feet 
of  water  over  the  sills.  The  excavations  into  the  river  from  the 
tails  of  the  lower  locks  not  to  be  bifurcated,  but  to  be  of  the 
whole  width  between  the  outer  faces  of  the  two  cuts,  and  to 


J\forthern  Inter- Oceanic  Xoute, 


27 


have  IV  feet  depth  of  water  everywhere  in  it.  This,  with  the 
river,  would  form  the  lower  basi^.  The  upper  locks  in  the 
double  flight  would  come  about  where  Colonel  Blunt's  19th 
lock  would  come  in  his  short  Lewiston  route. 

More  than  30  years  since  locks  were  constructed  in  our 
country  with  25  feet  lift  with  wooden  gates,  and  worked  well ; 
and  at  a  later  period  iron  gates  have  been  constructed  for  prisms 
of  30  feet  lift,  and  have  worked  successfully. 

It  would  be  best  to  make  the  gates  of  steel,  and  swinging 
with  two  leaves ;  and  the  question  would  arise  whether  it  would 
not  also  be  best  to  put  in  the  tubes  on  Mr.  Burt's  ingenious  plan 
for  filling  and  emptying  the  chambers,  if  practicable  in  so  long  a 
flight. 

Oh  top  of  the  mountain,  some  600  feet  from  the  upper  locks 
towards  Sohlosser,  and  where  the  excavation  would  only  be  30 
feet  deep,  would  be  the  place  to  make  the  upper  basin,  15  feet  of 
the  excavation  for  which  would  be  in  the  top  clay,  and  15  feet 
in  the  under  rock.  Nature  presents  here  the  most  befitting 
place  for  an  upper  basin,  which,  as  already  said,  should  form  a 
feature  in  the  Canal,  whatever  plan  may  be  adopted.  From  the 
head  of  the  flight  to  this  basin  the  Canal  should  be  bifurcated, 
as  in  Forshey's  plan. 

In  regard  to  the  widths  of  the  thorough  cuts,  in  which  the 
locks  are  to  be  placed,  and  th*  thickness  of  the  rock  prism 
left  between  them,  tf'X.-  must  depend  in  some  measure  upon  the 
compactness  of  the  rock  strata.  The  geological  survey  presented 
by  Mr.  Bui't  shows  that  we  may  rely  with  some  hope  upon 
using  the  very  rock  itself  by  making  smooth  work  for  the  faces 
of  the  lock  chambers  and  breast  heights  of  the  lifts.  This  being 
supposed,  the  cuts  would  be  60  feet  wide  and  the  prism  partition 
say  20  feet  thick. 

The  cost  of  the  whole  work  upon  this  plan  of  locks  and 
basins  for  the  same  width  of  Canal  as  proposed  by  Colonel 
Blunt,  but  of  17  feet  water  in  the  Canal  and  16  feet  on  the  mitre 
sills,  will,  by  an  approximate  estimate,  amount  to  $12,500,000. 

The  time  for  passing  twelve  such  locks  would  be  consider- 
ably less  than  for  passing  21  chambere,  as  in  Colonel  Blunt's 
plan,  though  the  time  by  these  twelve  locks  would  undoubtedly 
be  greater  than  by  Burt's  lock.     Taking  a  whole  year's  com 


28  Memoir  upon  the 

moroe  of  large  and  small  vessels,  his  lock  would  kIiow  a  greater 
saving  of  time  over  every  other  plan  suggested,  if  we  suppose  it 
no  more  liable  to  accident,  or  disaster  causing  no  greater  delay 
for  the  remedy  than  the  other  plans. 

What  precedes,  upon  the  question  of  passing  the  Falls  by  a 
Canal  on  tiie  American  side,  applies  only  to  the  shortest  recog 
ni/,e(l  practicable  line  known  as  the  Lewiston  route,  and  which 
lies  nearest  the  Niagara  River  frontier.    The  river  where  the 
debouch  of  the  Canal  would  be  is  only  half  a  mile  wide. 

Several  other  routes  were  surveyed  and  estimated  upon  by 
Colonel  Blunt.  One  of  these  is  called  the  "Eighteen  Mile 
Creek  Route,"  about  25^  miles  long,  leaving  Niagara  River  at 
Tonawanda  Island,  8^  miles  above  Schlosser,  going  round  by 
Lockport,  N.  Y.,  thence  debouching  into  Lake  Ontario  at  Olcott 
Harbor,  which  is  at  the  mouth  of  this  Creek — making  the  total 
lockage  320^  feet. 

However  well  put  these  points  seem  to  be,  those  who  advo 
cato  the  shortest  Lewiston  route  meet  them  by  the  following : 
Admit  that  15  miles  of  river  and  lake,  adapted  by  nature  for 
all  sizes  of  vessels,  is  avoided,  nevertheless  this  route  being 
longer  by  more  than  18  miles  of  canal -towing,  with  a  little 
more  lockage  than  the  Lewiston  route,  the  question  arisen :  Will 
18  miles  of  canal -towing  take  less  time  for  the  passage  of  ships 
than  15  miles  of  good  river  and  lake  navigation?  Should  the 
additional  length  of  Canal  consume  more  time,  the  argument,  in 
its  application  to  commerce,  would  seem  to  be  in  favor  of  the 
^  ewiston  route. 

Aij  to  security  from  attack,  the  Lewiston  route  requires  the 
V  'lole  work  to  be  excavated,  lirst  down  into  a  stratum  of  stiff 
clay,  which  would  have  to  be  wasted,  and  could  be  formed  into 
a  thick  parapet  on  either  side ;  then  the  excavation  is  down  in 
rock  for  a  depth  considerably  deeper  than  the  depth  of  the 
water  in  the  Canal.  This  spare  rock  will  form  an  immensely 
thick  revetment  to  the  clay  parapets.  The  work  being  thus 
covered  ami  incased  in  rock,  it  would  be  very  difficult  for  a 
secret  party  to  do  damage ;  nor  could  a  battery  on  the  Canada 
side  work  serious  injury,  unless  put  in  the  prolongation  of  the 
line  of  the  locks.  On  this  j>rolongation  an  enemy's  battery 
could  probably  be  erected  within  three-fourths  of  a  mile,  and  if 


J\'br/ArrH  /kfrr-Otrfrnff  ^^wM 


80 


unmolested  enfilade  the  locks.  Hut  thnt  ]mf«ition.  ns  nil  utht^ii* 
for  an  enemy's  battery,  oould  be  ooiupl«<t«>ly  ooiuintuwlod  by  guhf* 
properly  posted  behind  or  on  the  eiiual  uml  lock  pivrunetH.  Hy 
wasting  the  materials  excavated  (lu>reron>,  with  ft  vltnv  to 
defense,  the  Canal  in  itself  would  be  a  fonuldal>l»>  loi-lllleutliui, 
which,  if  well  armed  and  well  serve*!,  Wiudd  deCond  IVoiu  M\y 
serious  injury.  Jiesides,  Fort  Niau;ani  is  only  m<ven  nilUm  lutlow. 
The  greatest  injury  that  could  \h\  donu  iVoni  tvr)  eiUMny'K  btttttM'y 
would  bo  to  vessels  passing  up  and  down  tlie  river,  Hut  tivtm 
these  ought  to  bo  protect(Ml  by  our  own  battei'IcN,  (K'coui'rte, 
whicherer  route  may  be  adopted,  it  wo(dd  be  ncceNHiii'y  in  lliiu* 
of  war  with  our  opposite  nj'ighbors,  to  proteitt  the  work  with  », 
force  sufficient  to  guar<l  it  IVoni  Hurprise  and  all  bij'^'y-  J^n*' 
before  this  Canal  will  bo  aowHivucU'd  politij-al  relations  will 
probably  be  such  between  the  Dotninion  and  tint  Htatew  thai*  U© 
military  protection  will  be  ncu'ded. 

It  should  not  be  fbrgott<fn,  that  for  a  C/ft»ftl  <»n  ftfty  vtmiQ 
around  these  Falls,  a  tug  wfjuld  lie  uMimnary  for  towing  VMf<»*tj* 
into  and  through  it,  and  probably  there  would  be  no  n^om,  \(  m 
much,  tug  force  required  for  the  lAiwinUm  an  for  tliM  OU'Mi 
route. 

5th.  After  passing  L<  wi«ton,  no  ohmirtuiiumn  ft«J>*t  J«  i}w 
natural  ship  navigation  all  tbrougli  T>ak«  (htinrh*  ftn4  (Umti  tl*t* 
St.  Lawrence  liivcr,  until  we  rt'tmh  (iiiU>p\  U»p{il«,  whtmi  Wtfffl* 
mit  is  272  miles  b<;low  Ix?wi*l^>n.  At  thtt  hm4  ot  tb*<*«  r^|^/i«^ 
we  come  to  a  rea«h  tii  aSntui  I0«  mWm^  tx%UmtVm%  U>  Mmiirml^ 
in  which  reach  of  the  Ht.  \jh.*- remit  tAmirmt^unm  io  m(n  *(<Jj# 
navigation  occur  in  seven  \A^'Am  m  the  tt\i»rmU^r  *t(  m^M^f 
which,  however,  are  ♦sefyaraRvl  Vyy  j^mU  t4  ^»fvnm  itm^ih^f  itt 
which  the  navigasion  «*  j^wxl  U^r  %htjm,  l'.**«eini{f(<^'  i^'iMftmri^ 
jump  thma  raif)ii<<K  AroiWw4  tlh«;  tUfHtt*  iMtm'iism  i^D^tmh  !l^^^ 
been  eotmAnneted^  m>  hera  t^imlMeft ', 


. 


30 


Memoir  upon  the 


NAME    OF   CANAL  OK    SAFIDfi, 


Galop's ... 

Connectins:  Link  Canal, 

Point  Iroquois, 

Platte 

Farren's  Point, 

Cornwall 

Beaubarnois, 

Lacbine, 


9 
0 

6.75 
11.5 
4. 
48. 

83.5 
44.75 


206.5 


j^ 


2 

2i 

8 

4 
i 
lU 
lU 

8i 


43f 


I 


2 
0 
1 
2 

1 
7 
9 
5 


27 


4.5  av 
0 

6.75 
5.75  av 
4 

6.86  av 
9.16  av 
8.95  av 


Each  lock  has  its  chamber  45X200  feet,  and  only  9  feet 
water  on  its  sills.  These  are  called  the  "  St.  Lawrence  Canals." 
They  allow  the  passage  of  vessels  186  feet  long,  and  43  feet 
beam,  maximum  burthen  300  tons,  equivalent  only  to  10,000 
bushels  of  wheat. 

The  cost  of  enlarging  these  canals  to  locks  of  46  X  350  teet 
in  the  chamber,  16  feet  water  on  the  sills  and  17  feet  everywhere 
else  in  them,  would  probably  amount  to  $5,200,000.  From  Mon- 
treal to  Three  Rivers  —  up  to  which  tide  water  comes  —  it  is  90 
miles,  in  whick  ships  drawing  20  feet  safely  navigate.  The  total 
fall,  or  difference  of  level,  from  the  foot  of  Lake  Ontario  to  tide 
water  at  Three  Rivers  is  about  235  feet.  The  difference  between 
this  and  the  total  lockage  of  the  St.  Lawrence  Canals  is  28^  feet. 
This  is  due  to  the  natural  inclination  of  the  river  for  all  those 
parts  in  which  there  are  no  rapids.  In  these  parts,  on  an 
average,  the  fall  is  nearly  l^'^  inches  to  the  mile. 

From  the  head  of  tide  water  at  Three  Rivers  out  to  the 
Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence,  it  is  600  miles,  in  which  ice  in  winter  is 
the  only  obstacle  to  ship  navigation.  In  this  respect,  the  Puget 
Sound  waters  of  the  Pacific  have  the  advantage,  offering  no 
obstruction,  in  any  season,  to  the  freedom  and  safety  of  ehips 
navigating  thom. 


JVorthern  Inter'  Oceanic  Houte. 


81 


III.    EXTENTS   AND   COSTS     OP    IMPROVEMENT  OF    THE    DIFFERENT 
KINDS    OF  TRANSPORTATION. 

Having  described  all  the  obstructions  and  methods  of 
improving  them,  from  tide  water  of  the  Pacific  to  that  of  the 
Atlantic,  on  this  natural  northern  line  of  inter-oceanic  commerce, 
I  present  the  distances  on  the  track  of  transportation  as  follows : 


' 


Lensfth  of  track 

of  the  kind  of 

DESIGNATION  AND  KIND  OP  TRANSPORTATION,  traneportat' n 

in  railet. 

Projected  Northern  Pacific  Railroad, 1775 

Ship  navigation  in  Lakes  Superior  (410  milcB) ;  Huron  (335  m.) ; 

St.  Clair  (23  m.)  ;  Erie  (240  m.) ;  Ontario  (180  m.)., 1087 

Ship  navigation  in  rivers  connecting  these  lakes,  and  where  no 
Improvement  has  heen  made :  St.  Mary's  (45  miles) ;  St. 
Clair  (30  m.) ;  Detroit  (35  m.) ;  Niagara  (25  m  )  St.  Law- 
rence,  (318  m.) 8S8 

Ship  navigation  by  canals,  constructed  and  contemplated,  to  over- 
come obstiucted  places  in  these  rivers:  Saut  de  Ste.  Marie 
(1  mile),  constructed ;  St.  Clair  Flats  (1|  m.),  nearly  com- 
pleted ;  Niagara  Falls  (7  m.),  proposed,  not  commenced  ;  St. 
Lawrence  Canals  (in  all  43^8  m.),  constructed, 58 

Total  distance  from  tide  water  to  tide  water 8268 

We  therefore  see  that  on  this  route  we  should  have  1,775 
miles  of  i-ailroad  and  1,513  miles  of  ship  transportation  between 
tide  water  of  the  Pacific,  at  Seattle,  on  Puget  Sound,  and  tide 
water  of  the  Atlantic,  at  Three  Rivers,  on  the  St.  Lawrence. 

The  amounts  of  money  required  for  the  contemplated 
improvements,  to  the  largest  scale,  are  tabulated  as  follows : 


10 

)8 


DESIGNATION  OP  EACH  IMPROVEMENT.  Dol'rs  reqnir'd. 

First,  construction  N.  P.  R.  R.,  1,775  miles,  single  track,  equip 

ments,  sidings,  and  buildings,  $46,283  per  mile,  in  coin,. . .  $82,152,325 

Harbor  and  necessary  docks  at  head  of  Lake  Superior, 1,000,000 

Improving  Saut  de  St.  Marie  Canal, 250,000 

Improving  other  places  in  this  river, 149,021 

Finishing  St.  Clair  Flats  Canal  |15,000,  and  to  deepen  it  to  17 

feet,  $30,000,  45,000 

Construction  of  *Ship  Canal  around  Niagara  Falls,  on  Lewis- 
ton  shortest  route, 13,457,259 

Enlarging  the  St.  Lawrence  Canals, 5,200,000 

Total  costs, $102,253,605 

"The  eetimate  for  tliig  Canal  would,  of  coarie,  be  somewhat  modified,  according  to 
the  plan  ^vhlch  wonld  be  adoptad. 


32 


Memoir  upon  the 


It  will  be  seen  that  for  all,  except  the  railroad,  the  improve- 
ments, including  a  harbor  and  docks  at  the  head  of  Lake 
Superior,  will  cost  $20,101,280.  This  supposes  the  canals  to  be 
brought  to  a  depth  of  17  feet,  the  lock  chambers  to  the  size  of 
360  feet  in  length,  46  to  50  feet  in  width,  and  10  feet  depth  of 
water  on  the  mitre  sills,  requiring  |;15,601,280,  to  be  expended 
on  works  in  the  United  States,  and  $4,500,000  on  those  in  the 
Dominion  of  Canada. 


IV.    TIMB    OF   MOVING   HEA.VY   FBEfGIlT   PROM   SEATTLE    TO   THREE 
RIVERS. 

Supposing   all  the  foregoing  improvements  completed,  the 
approximate  time  for  the  movement  is  estimated  as  follows : 

Days.  Hrs. 

From  Puget  Sound  to  Lake  Superior,  by  rail, 6  3 

On  lakes,  including  one  day  for  trans-sbipment  at  Lake  Superior 

from  cars  into  vessels 6  15 

On  rivers  connecting  the  lakes 1  20 

On  canals,  where  obstructions  are  in  the  rivers, 1  3 

To  pass  through  all  the  locks, 1  8 

Total, 16        19 


V.  COST  OP  TRANSPORTING  PROM  SEATTLE  (TIDE  WATER*  ON 
PUGET  sound)  TO  THREE  RIVERS  (TIDE  WATER  IN  THE  ST. 
LAWRENCE),   SUPPOSING   ALL   THE    IMPROVEMENTS    PERFECTED. 

Hon.  W.  J.  McAlpine,  in  his  comparison  of  the  costs  of 
freighting  by  different  modes  of  conveyance,  puts  them  as 
follows : 


By  Railroad 12^  to  13^     mills  per  ton  per  mile 

By  Lakes 2    to    3  and  4  "        "  " 

By  Rivers, 2i  to    3  "        " 

By  Canals, 4    to    5  "        "  " 

The  highest  numbers  being  applicable  to  short,  and  the  low- 
est to  long  lines  of  conveyance.  On  the  route  we  are  consider- 
ing, all  but  the    canals    are    long    lines.      By   applying  the 


JVbrthern  Inter- Oceanic  !Route^ 


33 


foregoing  costs  to  our  table  of  distances  we  shall  find  the  costs 
from — 

Seattle  to  Lake  Superior,  bj'  rail $22  19  per  ton 

Lake  Superior  to  Tliree  Rivers,  by  ship 3  33        " 

From  tide  to  tide,  total |25  52  per  ton 

At  present  it  costs  $0.25  per  ton  from  Lake  Superior,  via  the 
Erie  Canal,  to  the  seaboard,  or  to  Atlantic  tide  water. 


VI.    QUESTIONS   PUT  AS   OBJKCTIOXS  AND   ANSAVEBEn. 


»  A 


15 

20 

8 

3 

19 


of 
as 


Suppose  the  Canal  around  the  Falls  constructed,  how  are 
your  large  vestjls  to  reach  the  Atlantic  while  you  have  neither 
the  free  navigation  of  the  St.  Lawrence  below  St.  Regis,  nor  the 
right  to  enlarge  the  St.  Lawrence  Canals  so  as  to  allow  your 
large  freighting  vessels  to  pass  through  ? 

Now,  this  objection  is  often  put;  but  it  is  no  argument 
Against  the  construction  of  the  Canal  around  the  Niagara 
Falls,  as  I  will  endeavor  to  show. 

Unobstructed  navigation  extends  on  the  St.  Lawrence  down 
•our  own  border  65  miles  below  Lake  Ontario,  and  nearer  to 
Eastern  markets  by  nearly  300  miles  than  our  large  upper  lake 
vessels  are  permitted  to  reach  by  the  single  obstruction  of  the 
Niagara  Falls. 

Construct  the  seven  miles  Canal  around  these  Falls,  and  there 
will  at  once  be  added  nearly  300  miles  of  ship  navigation  to 
what  we  now  have  for  a  population  of  twelve  millions  of  pro- 
ducers in  eight  Lake  States,  whose  produce  in  1867,  in  bread  stuffs 
alone,  amounted  to  257,700,000  bushels  of  wheat,  and  269,700,000 
bushels  of  Indian  corn.  Were  I  to  ennumerate  other  products 
of  the  farm,  and  products  of  the  forests,  and  of  the  mines, 
there  would  be  adduced  results  in  amounts  proportionate  to 
these  breadstuff's,  all  of  which  go  on  augmenting  from  year  to 
year. 

On  our  own  shore  of  Lake  Ontario  and  bank  of  the  St, 
Lawrence,  there  are  eight  commercial  ports,  at  which  there  are 
-railroads  and  at  least  one  canal  terminating  and  connecting  in 
6 


84  Memoir  upon  the 

every    direction   with    New  Eiighind   and  Now    York  lines  of 
transportation. 

Extend  the  hirge  sliip  navigation  from  the  n])i»or  hikes  to 
these  ports,  and  the  surplns  produce  of  the  hike  States,  and  that 
whicli  is  soon  to  come  pouring  in  from  the  Northwest,  will  be 
carried  to  eight  more  distributing  ports  'U)0  miles  nearer  the 
points  of  consumption,  instead  of  being,  as  now,  all  distribuied 
from  only  one  port,  and  conveyed  by  only  two  lines,  whicli  are 
inadecpiate  to  carry  the  surplus,  and  what  is  carried  upon  them 
is  too  expensively  conveyed  by  round  about  paths  before  reach- 
ing the  doors  of  the  consumers,  in  all  New  England  and 
Northern  New  York.  And  the  same  argunu'iit  will  a])ply,  with 
equal  force,  in  respect  to  the  return  commodities  rcMpiired  by  the 
Lake  Stales  and  the  Northwest,  to  come  by  shipping  from  the 
Eastern  States  via  the  Ontario  i)orts. 

In  this  enlarged  facility  of  interchange  of  commodities  lies 
the  blessing  a  Canal  on  our  side  of  the  Fi-'ls  would  confer  upon 
the  Lake  States,  the  Northwest,  and  all  Ne\>  '     .1.  though 

our  large  ships  should  not  be  permitted  to  pass  below  Oguens- 
burgh  or  St.  Regis,  on  the  St.  Lawrence.  IJnt  let  sueli  vessels 
lieavily  freighted  with  grain,  lumber,  timber,  iron,  and  copper 
freely  enter  into  Lake  Ontario,  and  it  is  morally  certaii,  that  not 
only  would  the  St.  Lawrence  Canals  be  immediat-ly  ouTarged, 
but  competition  would  force  the  enlargement  of  th^^  Fi'ie  and 
Oswego  Canals  to  dimensions  suitable  for  lively  participation  in 
the  transmission  of  heavy  freight,  and  then  all  obstacles  causing 
the  breaking  of  cargo  would  be  lemoved,  that  now  block  the 
passage  from  all  the  lakes  directly  to  our  seaports,  or  to  those  on 
foreign  coasts,  for  vessels  large  enough  to  cheapen  freights  down 
to  a  minimum. 

One  more  objection  raised  to  this  Northern  route  i»  that  "  It 
is  frozen  up  half  the  year."  This  is  an  exaggeration  of  the  time. 
It  is  admitted  that  generally  the  rivers  connecting  the  lakes  are 
elosed  or  clogged  with  iioating  ice  from  December  10th  to  April 
iOth,  that  is.  fcr  foui  irsontlisi'  in  the  year.  And  so  it  is  on  the 
Mississippi  above  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio;  on  the  Missouri;  on 
the  Illinois  ;;  also  on  the  Illinois  Canal ;  and  for  three  months  in 
the  summer  season,  the  low  water  in  these  channels  is  a  very 


'L 


JVbrthern  Inter- Oceanic  :Eoitfe. 


35 


groat  impedinKMit  to   cheai)  traiisnortiitioa.      The   objection   of 
low  water  docs  not  apply  to  tlie  Northern  route. 

As  a  general  rule,  tlie  St.  Lawrence  Canala  and  that  river 
are  open  for  navigation  'J  10  days  in  the  year.  Ocean  steamers 
arrive  at  (Juebec  as  early  as  IMay  1st,  and  depart  as  late  as 
November  24th. 

There  is  ample  time  after  ripening  for  all  the  grains  to  be 
harvested,  prepared,  and  sent  from  all  the  Lak«'  States  and  the 
Northwest  to  the  lake  ports,  and  shipped  down  the  lakes  into 
the  St.  Lawrence,  and  thence  across  the  Atlantic,  even  before 
navigation  closes  on  thio  route. 

For  all  edible  products  shij»ped  to  the  seaboard  and  thence  to 
foreign  ports,  the  Southern  route,  via  New  Orleans,  with  the 
Upper  ^Mississippi  improved  ever  so  much,  rannot  favorably 
compare  with  the  Northern,  on  account  of  the  deteriorating 
eifect  of  so  warm  a  climate  upon  such  products.  The  deteriora- 
tion has  been  estimated  at  5  per  -^ent.  disadvantjige  on  the 
Southern  voyage. 

In  drawing  this  comparison  between  the  Noi-thern  and 
Southern  routes,  by  which  products  may  be  made  to  reach 
foreign  markets,  it  is  very  far  from  my  intention,  nor  is  it  to  the 
interest  of  the  public,  to  decry  one  route  with  a  view  of  building 
up  another.  On  the  contrary,  it  is  my  aim  to  give  each  its  just 
due,  and  with  the  Iiope  that  both  of  these  lines  shall  yet  be 
improved  by  well  digested  plans  of  engineering  to  cajDacities 
altogether  commensurate  with  the  growth  of  our  Lake  and 
Northwest  States. 

All  of  which  is  respectfully  submitted  by 

TH09.  J.  CRAM. 
To  the  Board  of  Trade  of  the  City  of  Detroit,  Midi.,  December  24lh,  I86S1. 


■^w^mm'yfmfr'r^^anmm'^ 


